Yorkshire Water are a very large organisation that own very large parts of our countryside and have a major impact on small rural communities with their development policies.

Small rural communities like Langsett are not equipped to defend their villages and hamlets against the adverse effects that these developments cause. Langsett has a Parish Council of 5 people and a budget of £3535 per year, just a small % of the resources that YW will put into to getting approval for this development.

This is a large development that will significantly increase the numbers of visitors to Langsett Village which is 5 miles away from any public transport ie Stocksbridge & Penistone. The only way for visitors to travel to Langsett Village is by car.

This is a survey that I have been doing of the current demand for visitor car parking at Langsett Village so far this year and shows a typical weekend, or any school holiday day throughout the year when the weather is reasonable for walkers

| No | Parking Area | Parking Capacity | No of Cars Parking | Remarks | |----|--------------------------------|------------------|--------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1 | Langsett Barn Car Park | 80 | 120 | Cars park both sides of entrance blocking safe entry / exit. There is no management of this car park, regularly 50% more cars than permitted The A616 becomes congested to a standstill in both directions as cars try to get into the already blocked car park entrance | | 2 | A616 Caravan Cafe Laybye | 38 | 90 | Parked both sides of the Laybye and on the west bound soft verge on the busy A616 causing traffic restrictions | | 3 | Flouch Car Park | 40 | 60 | The capacity of this can be trebled by removing some unused picnic areas and redesign. This is ½ mile from the centre of the village with good access to paths & bridleways ideal for extending | | 4 | Flouch Laybye | 4 | 5 | | | 5 | Gilbert Hill kerbside | 90 | | This is an un-kerbed country lane connecting Langsett with Penistone area. The soft verge and land drainage is damage & restricts this to 1 lane traffic | | 6 | Dam Wall kerb Midhopecliffe Lane | 20 | | This causes road restrictions, restricting traffic to single lane | | 7 | Thickwood Lane kerbside | 4 | 15 | Soft verge badly damaged unsupported culverts | | | **TOTAL** | **166** | **380** | **Av 2 persons per car = app 800 visitor** | This shows the extent of current demand for visitor parking now at Langsett. This new development proposal will install a new large tourist facility aimed at people that currently do not use Langsett. This will attract more than a hundred cars per week extra cars to the village?

I also expect that this facility will organise special events that will attract hundreds of new people to the area on these event days.

There is no public transport to Langsett within 5 miles, why have Yorkshire Water not properly considered where will all these cars will park?

Yorkshire Water have a Policy to increase visitor numbers to its Reservoirs and countryside areas, they have a plan to increase visitor numbers to Langsett and the surrounding areas that they named this plan as “THE MASTER PLAN”

Yorkshire Water also have another Planning Application in for them to develop the Langsett Woods on the north side of the reservoir for a “Go Ape” zip wire and arial rope adult play area that is designed to attract even more visitors and their cars to Langsett.

There has been no consideration for car parking or public transport for these additional visitors, the area cannot cope with the visitor parking as it exists. Langsett Village Conservation Area is gradually being ruined by the ever increasing numbers of visitors driving to Langsett to park their cars.

Yorkshire Water also have a plan to open Midhope Reservoir up for walkers etc,

The Langsett Parish Council recently invited representatives from PDNP, Yorkshire Water, Highways England, Barnsley Council to attend a meeting to discuss the Visitor Parking issues at Langsett Village and the Air Quality Management Area AQMA in Langsett that is created by traffic pollution

The following attended the Langsett Parish Council meeting on Monday 11th March 2019, Chris Shields (Barnsley Council), Toni Rios and Mandy Forster (Highways England) Emily Brady and Geoff Lomas (Yorkshire Water), Nick Baker (Peak District National Park Authority), Chris Shields (Barnsley Council Pollution Control)

The key points of this meeting were as follows

- Yorkshire Water Services obtained planning permission from PDNP in 2013 to increase capacity of the Langsett Barn Carpark by 18 to 72 to reduce congestion on the A616 road. PDNP Planning approved this with the caveat that no further extension to this car park, or any further development of new visitor car parks will be allowed
- All though PDNP Policy is not to allow any further increase in off street Car Parking and the current car parking is well over subscribed but Yorkshire Water still continue to plan new developments to attract more and more visitors to Langsett Village. Geoff Lomas of Yorkshire Water said at the meeting with Langsett Parish Council “that YW submitted plans in 2013 for the adjacent arable field to the existing car to be developed as 100 capacity car park but Langsett Parish Council objected to it, so that this car parking problem needs an alternative plan from the Parish Council to resolve it."

The fact is that PDNP refused Yorkshire Water planning permission for a new 100 car car park development

- Yorkshire Water Policy is to increase public use of Langsett Reservoir and surrounding woods and other areas. They currently have 2 planning applications in with PDNP for developments in Langsett to continue the increase visitor numbers one plan is these cycle paths plans and the other is an Adventure Theme park by an organisation called Go Ape

- Yorkshire Water are aware that many more cars are using Langsett Barn Car Park than what was planned for and that cars are parking at either side of the entrance making it dangerous for cars to get in or out. I asked Geoff Lomas (Yorkshire Water) what their plans are manage this car park safely and stop this dangerous over stocking of the car park.

I have witnessed the results of 2 accidents on the A616 at the car park entrance in the last 12 months

Geoff Lomas did not answer this but simply stated that they wanted a 2nd car park and the Parish Council objected to this so this rests with Langsett Parish Council. It appears that YW intend to press on with “The Master Plan” to develop Langsett for more visitors and ignore the parking and traffic issues

- Highways England agreed to review the anti social parking on the west bound carrigeway of the A616, (30 cars)

- Highways England also agreed to work with Barnsley Council to reduce air pollution in the Langsett A616 AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT AREA by carrying out a trial to stop vehicles turning off the A616 onto Gilbert Hill. The trial plan is to block this end of Gilbert Hill to traffic to allow the A616 traffic to smoothly flow through Langsett. Another effect of this is that up to 90 cars will be stopped from parking on the soft verges on this un-kerbed country lane

- Currently 600 cars per day use this as a short cut but the effect of a car turning onto Gilbert Hill causes a long line of standing traffic in the AQMA

- PDNP were asked to attend this Parish Council Meeting, they sent a Peak District Ranger for the area who could not comment on PDNP issues that are dealt with by his Managers, also Rangers are partly funded and managed by YW so no disrespect intended he was not able contribute to the meeting

As a resident of Langsett we are looking to PDNP to help Langsett Village that is a Conservation Area in the Peak District National Park with a number of listed buildings in and around this car park to stop further developments that will increase visitor numbers to this area until the car parking issues are addressed. Car Park Entrance obstructed by anti social parking

This holds up traffic on the A616

Note all the cars parked Gilbert Hill in the background